


Never Grow Up

by lucianowriter



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Family Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 09:24:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianowriter/pseuds/lucianowriter
Summary: David and Patrick have a family. How do they deal with major moments in their daughter's life? Set to the song Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift.





	Never Grow Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been a while. I've just been dealing with a lot. I couldn't handle writing the angst of Confusion so I took a break and wrote this little fluff number.
> 
> Thanks are in order to my other half E who encouraged me through my writing issues lately. And thanks to DisgruntledPelican for always being a wonderful beta!

Patrick opened the door as quietly as possible. He had been in Toronto all weekend for a Small Business Convention. He and David had both been invited to this convention to represent Rose Apothecary. After some careful consideration, they decided that as the business side of the operation, it was best Patrick went. David stayed behind not only because the workshops and panels would have done him in, but also because of Gabby -- their young daughter.

It had been Patrick’s first solo weekend away since they had adopted Gabby. They’d both been worried about leaving Gabby with a babysitter or leaving one without the other. So, they had turned down business opportunities that would take them away from her. Until now.

After three years of marriage, they had finally sat down and discussed kids. David knew that Patrick loved kids, he coached baseball in the summers for crying out loud, but he wasn't sure of Patrick's stance on kids of his own. David had told Patrick that he had reservations about kids. Patrick honestly didn't blame him.

However, after a lengthy discussion -- that lasted three days -- they decided that they wanted to adopt a young child. However, they wouldn't take a kid under 5 years of age because David drew the line at toddlers and babies. (They have no control over their bodily functions... which is incorrect.)

It took them another year before they'd decided on the perfect child. Her name was Gabrielle and she was a ray of pure sunshine, despite having been through a traumatic beginning -- when she was one her family died in a car accident. By the time she met David and Patrick she was five and found David to be extremely funny. At their first meeting, she declared David her best friend. That's not to say she didn't like Patrick. After all, she did rope him into her princess tea party where his role was space ranger. (It made no sense to anyone but her.)

David and Patrick were smitten almost immediately. They knew Gabrielle was the addition their family had so desperately been searching for. After a few months and tons of paperwork, David and Patrick officially welcomed Gabrielle Rose-Brewer into the family. She immediately fell in love with her room, which melted David's heart. He had spent many hours painstakingly making her room perfect for her. He did a green and blue color scheme since those were her favorite, but he also made sure there remained elements of pinks and purples to represent her love of unicorns.

Patrick had offered to help but David wanted to do it himself. In all honesty, he probably felt he owed it to her to make sure she knew she was loved and valued. Something David missed out on as a child. The Roses loved their children, but neither parent was all that forthcoming with their affections as David and Alexis were growing up.

It warmed Patrick's heart to watch David put so much love and care into the creation of something new. Each little space and magical unicorn detail he drew on her wall was a symbol of his love for her and that he would always be there.

That had been a year ago and every day since then the bond between David and Gabby had simply grown. It was clear to anyone and everyone that they were each other's favorite person. A lesser man than Patrick would get jealous or demand more from David. However, Patrick knew that his bond -- while different -- was just as important to Gabby as David's. 

They always had breakfast together and Gabby always went with him, when she didn't have school, to the store to set up the displays. She loved organizing things and knew as well as Patrick how David would want the products. Even more importantly, they shared a love of sci-fi and space. All those things went right over David's head, but it was how Patrick communicated with his little girl. 

Patrick, though tired, smiled as he dropped his bag in the dining room and headed for Gabby's first-floor bedroom. He missed his daughter so much. He tiptoed to her door and peeked in through the crack. 

Gabby lay asleep on her trundle bed with a nightlight of stars rotating above her head. The music machine must've turned off because he heard the whir of it being on but no actual music was playing. He could see that she was clutching her favorite toy, a stuffed rainbow bear wearing a NASA shirt that she'd made with Patrick at Build-A-Bear two weeks ago.

She sniffed and rolled over in her bed, her wavy blonde hair tangling a bit around her face. Patrick moved into the room to kiss his daughter on the cheek. He crossed the room and sat down by her bed. His hand reached out and gently stroked hers as it clutched her bear. He smiled fondly before he started to sing.

_ Oh darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up _

_ Just stay this little _

_ Oh darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up _

_ It could stay this simple _

_ I won't let nobody hurt you _

_ Won't let no one break your heart _

_ No one will desert you _

_ Just try to never grow up _

_ Never grow up. _

As he finished and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, he noticed a figure in the doorway. He knew it was his husband, but he didn’t let it distract him from finishing his ritual. Even though Gabby was already asleep and missed it all, Patrick had to finish the routine for himself.

Then he got up and slowly left the room. He met his husband at the doorway with a smile.

"I never grow tired of hearing you sing to her." David said as a way of greeting before their lips met.

"I know." Patrick smiled into the kiss, "God, I missed you guys."

"We missed you more." David whispered teasingly.

"Why don't you show me just how much." Patrick quirked a suggestive eyebrow. 

The two moved away from their daughter's room and toward the stairs leading up to their own. Their fingers never once letting go of one another. Even after five years of marriage, David and Patrick still managed to find joy and excitement in the little things. Having Gabby only enhanced that tenfold.

  
  
  


The next morning, Patrick was up at 6 and out the door by 6:10 in order to go on a run. He had a half-hour before Gabby would be awake and ready for assistance with getting ready for school. He knew that David wouldn't be up until she was almost ready to walk out the door. This was their routine. 

As he ran, Patrick thought about how he would get Gabby ready and feed her breakfast, and David was the one who’d drive her to school. Meanwhile, Patrick would open the store and David would meet him there. 

Then after school, David would pick her up and bring her back to the store. Once they got home after closing, Patrick would prepare dinner while David played with their daughter. Sometimes Patrick would join in but not always. Then, both of them would help her get ready for bed. 

It was a system that had taken some time to perfect, but it was perfect for them. As Patrick rounded the corner that brought him back to their house, he smiled. It was a life he never expected he would have, but he wouldn't change it for the world. It was his and no one could ever take that away.

As Patrick entered the house he was greeted by a very much awake Gabby. He scooped up his daughter with a chuckle.

"Eww daddy! You're all wet and gross!" Gabby's giggle warmed Patrick right to his bones.

"Well, guess I'll just have to dry off then!" He moved as if to use Gabby as a towel. Gabby howled with laughter and squirmed out of his arms.

She ran from him and ended in her bedroom. Patrick followed close behind, his smile never once leaving. He was a bit out of breath from his run, but he knew his chest would settle soon enough.

"Papa helped me pick this last night. What do you think daddy?" Gabby turned to Patrick, who had sat on the edge of her bed, now holding a flowered blue and green dress. 

"It's perfect, cadet." Patrick smiled to show her that he was very pleased in her outfit selection.

"Well papa said that jeans in spring or summer are inect." Gabby's voice holds all the confidence of a grown woman even though she had badly butchered a word.

"You mean incorrect?" Patrick asked as he helped his daughter out of her robot pajamas and into her dress.

"That's what I said!" Gabby stomped indignantly and scowled at Patrick. "Pay attention."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Patrick took his daughter’s mood very seriously. He knew that teasing her right now would only make her more upset. She was very much like David in that respect.

"Turn, cadet. We’ve got to somehow tame this space-case known as your hair." Patrick gently held his daughter's shoulder and turned her to face away from him.

As he gently brushed her hair and pulled her curly locks back into a half ponytail, Gabby continued to talk. He hummed in agreement as she spoke, not really hearing everything. He was too concentrated on his daughter's fly away hair.

"Alright! All done" he finally declared. "How about some waffles?"

The two lock hands and walk toward the kitchen. 

"Only if you put just syrup on them." Gabby reminded him gently. 

Patrick knew her waffle order by heart at this point but it made Gabby feel important to tell him each time. So he always let her with only a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"That's the only way to eat them." Patrick added as he sat her down in her seat at the kitchen island.

"Papa doesn't know what he's missing. Why does he ruin them with strawberries?" Gabby kicked her feet and twirled her chair in anticipation.

"I'm not sure. We should teach him the right way." Patrick hummed as he popped the waffles in the toaster -- two for him and one for Gabby.

Patrick loved his early mornings with Gabby. They reminded him that he was great at this and that he had something outside himself to focus on. Gabby was the perfect compilation of his and David's love. He couldn't wait to see where she would take them on this journey.

~~~

David passed by his daughter's room. Where the walls had once been covered in planets and unicorns, there was now only solid colored walls. They were covered in posters of space images alongside boy bands or Indy artists that Gabby loved. His little girl was growing up, next week she would be 15. Where had the time gone?

He paused when he heard a Mariah Carey number come on over her Bluetooth sound system. With a twinkle in his eye, he watched as his daughter danced around her room. The blur of blues and purples from the planets on her pajama bottoms mixed with the lavender of her plain pajama top. Her long, thick hair a mess around her head as she shook it from side to side with the music.

David felt entranced by the magic of his daughter. It seemed never ending. That is, until his husband broke the spell.

"Cadet! You're going to be late. Let's go!" Patrick's voice rang out from the kitchen down the hall. 

David kept moving, not wanting to get caught by his daughter. As he walked slowly toward his very handsome husband, he was almost bowled over by a streak of energy moving past him. David chuckled and leaned into Patrick for a kiss as their son, Ryan, jumped into a seat for breakfast. 

At the age of ten he had more energy than Gabby, David, and Patrick combined. However, it didn't seem to matter. Somehow, they all found a way to manage. Ryan's energy was excused mostly because David and Patrick were just glad he had it. When they'd first adopted him three years ago, he had been despondent and barely even present. They'd known before meeting him that he'd had some hardships, but they also knew that their lives had enough space and love for another child. 

They'd met Ryan on a Saturday because they wanted Gabby to come along. At first, Gabby tried hard not to stare at the strange child before her because she didn't want to be rude. Then she had surprised both of her parents by approaching Ryan and sitting down next to him.

"Are you a superhero?" She had asked, causing Ryan to look at her confused.

"Why would you think that?" Ryan whispered quietly.

"Because you clearly have superior technology on your legs to make you stronger and faster than the rest of us." Gabby shrugged pointing to the braces on Ryan's legs.

"Well, they do help me walk." Ryan responded.

"See. Superhero." Gabby wrapped her arms around Ryan and then continued, "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Our family is perfect for hiding superheroes. They already do a great job of hiding me, a space alien cadet."

Right then and there, a decision was made and Ryan became Ryan Rose-Brewer.

Patrick pulled David out of his thoughts by planting a kiss on his cheek as he leaned over and handed Ryan a plate of eggs and sausage and strawberries.

"Ry, did you happen to see your sister?" Patrick calmly asked their son.

"I'm right here. Geez dad! I heard you call!" Gabby sat down and rolled her eyes. "Can I just have some strawberries?"

"But I made you a waffle. You always want a waffle." Patrick tried to hide his disappointment, but David saw it loud and clear.

"Waffles are so incorrect. I can't eat that." Gabby rolled her eyes again before jumping down and grabbing her backpack.

"I'm ready to go, Papa." She threw over her shoulder as she headed out the front door toward David's car.

David shot Patrick a silent look of apology before they shared a kiss and David headed out the door. Their daughter was growing up and they had to accept that. 

"I'll eat the waffle, Daddy. I need to be big and strong for our baseball game on Saturday." Ryan chimed in with a smile.

"At least one kid still appreciates my cooking." Patrick quipped, giving David one last wave.

"You're the best cook!" Ryan yelled. In his excitement, his legs banged against the chair and the sound of his braces making contact reverberated through the now almost empty house.

"Thanks, slugger." Patrick smiled and wrapped an arm around Ryan. "Now, finish up so I can get you off to school."

  
  
  


It was Saturday night around 9 and Ryan was sleeping. David and Patrick were waiting on a call from their daughter telling them Cindy's mom was on the way to drop her back home. Their daughter was at her first major party. 

Patrick squeezed David closer to him because he knew David was anxious.

"She's growing up P. I don't even recognize her anymore. Did you know that today she told me to drop her off around the block because getting dropped off by a parent wasn't cool?" David muttered into Patrick's chest.

"She's a teenager D. It's what they do. She still loves you. Just not in front of her friends." Patrick squeezed David even tighter to his chest. 

Just then, Patrick's phone rang and he heard a sob escape from David. He gave his husband a confused look and then answered the phone.

"Hey cadet" There was a pause in Patrick's voice before he responded, "Ok. Where are you?"

David looked up at his husband, fearful of what he didn’t know, but his hackles were raised. Nothing good can be happening if Patrick was asking their daughter for her location. 

"Ok. We'll be there soon to get you. Please don't move. I love you." Patrick hung up the phone and turned his attention to his now distraught husband.

"She's fine. She just wants her Papa to pick her up from the party." Patrick wrapped David up and rubbed his back soothingly.

"She hates me. That's why she called you. I'm nothing to her, anymore." David sobbed dramatically, having not really paid attention to Patrick's words.

"She called me because your phone was off. Babe. Look at me." Patrick pulled David away and forced him to look at him. "She asked me 'Dad, can Papa come pick me up. I don't have a ride home.' She doesn't want me, she wants you."

"Oh." David pulled in his hysterics and took a deep breath. "I should probably go and get her then." 

Patrick watched as his husband took only enough time to grab his wallet and keys before running out the door. He shook his head. Even after 14 years of marriage, Patrick never grew tired of David's dramatics. It just showed how much he cared. 

David wore his heart on his sleeve, even though many people thought he guarded it with high levels of protection. Patrick knew better. When he first met David, he did have a highly fortified heart. But in the many years since, he'd watched the man become more open and receptive to giving and getting love. 

Before long, David was back with Gabby. The minute Gabby and Patrick made eye contact, he went on the defensive. He crossed the room instantly and wrapped his daughter up in his arms.

"What happened?" Patrick looked over Gabby's head to David.

"She wouldn't really say, just that she wanted to go home." David shrugged.

Patrick's heart ached. He never wanted to see his children hurt and yet here was his daughter with her heart completely broken.

"Cindy told everyone that I was fat. Then she said that I was an alien which is why I'm so fat." Gabby sobbed into her dad's shoulder. "That's not even the worst part. She told Tyler that I loved him so much that I wanted to put a spell on him just like I had done to them to get them to like me."

"You are beautiful just as you are." Patrick quietly reassured her. 

Meanwhile, David went for a more blunt approach. "Fuck them!" 

"Swear jar," Gabby paused in her crying long enough to admonish her Papa's language.

"I will, but listen to me first. I know it's going to suck not having them as friends anymore, but you don't need them if they make you cry. Real friends never make you cry." David smiled at his daughter and reached out to stroke her cheek.

The trio moved to the couch and snuggled up together. Patrick stroked his daughter's hair as he began to hum the song he always sang to her.

_ I won't let nobody hurt you _

_ Won't let no one break your heart _

_ No one will desert you _

_ Just try to never grow up _

_ Never grow up. _

Gabby snuggled in tighter to her dad and papa. The two men knew that no matter how old she got, Gabby would always need them. 

~~~

"Dad! Have you seen my iPod?" Gabby leaned her head out of her room and yelled to the house at large.

"It's right here." Ryan came out of his room at the top of the stairs with iPod in hand.

"Eww Ry! Why do you have my iPod???" Gabby screeched at her brother in frustration. Then she took the stairs two at a time to get the device from him. 

Patrick stepped out of his room to pull apart his fighting children. He grabbed Gabby into his arms and started to sing.

_ Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room _

_ Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home _

_ Remember the footsteps, remember the words said _

_ And all your little brother's favorite songs. _

"Ugh. Daaaad! Now is not the time for singing! I have to finish getting packed." Gabby rolled her eyes and stomped back down the stairs.

"I think she forgot that she loaned me the iPod when mine broke." Ryan said in a low, sad tone. Patrick could tell he was going to miss his sister.

David came through the door at that moment and yelled, "Who wants pizza?! I've got Pepperoni and Hawaiian." 

"Eww. Who puts pineapple on pizza?" Both Patrick and Ryan said at the same time. They laughed and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Even at 57, David still looked as handsome as ever. The wrinkles by his eyes didn't leave when he stopped smiling, and the grey flecks in his hair made him look distinguished. Patrick was still very much smitten with the overly dramatic man. 

"Where is Gab?" David asked as he looked up to find his husband and son. 

"She's currently in hysterics over me borrowing her iPod." Ryan shrugged as he grabbed at a piece of pepperoni pizza. 

At 13, Ryan was taller than Patrick and lanky. He no longer needed the braces on his legs but his Cerebral Palsy still prevented him from walking straight. That didn't stop him from playing baseball, though. He was the pitcher for his school team and the summer travelling league. In fact, he rivalled Patrick in his talents for the game.

His brown hair fell shaggy across his forehead and his blue eyes shone when he smiled. It was amazing to them how much he reminded them of Patrick. It was as if he was a miniature replica. Sure they didn't look the same, but their attitude and demeanor were identical. 

Just then, Gabby came rushing down the stairs, her blonde hair thrown into a messy bun stop her head. 

"Thanks Papa!" She said as she breezed right past her dad and brother without a single word.

"So, are you all packed for Sunday?" David asked his daughter as they both dug into the Hawaiian pizza. 

"For the most part. I still need to pack a few essential items the night before." Gabby shrugged.

David smiled at his daughter and felt his heart swell. He'd never imagined himself as a father before Patrick, but he wouldn't trade the last 16 years for anything. These kids were a part of his heart and the thought of one of them moving out was really hard on him. It was like a piece of his heart was breaking off never to return.

  
  
  


Later that night, Patrick made a visit to his daughter's room. He vaguely remembered when it used to be covered in space posters and boy bands. Now it was all fashion, all the time. He kind of missed his little space alien cadet. He sat down on the edge of her bed and smiled.

"Never grow up." He whispered lovingly toward her as she got ready for bed.

"Dad. I'm 17. That ship has sailed." Gabby gave him a stern look that could rival David's. 

"You may have grown up from a child but you still aren't fully grown. Slow down. Treasure this time because soon you are going to be my age and wish you'd paid attention more." Patrick sighed as he reached for her to pull her onto the bed next to him.

"Do you wish that about when you were my age?" Gabby asked, her voice concerned.

"All my actions in life led me here so I don't regret any of them, but I do wish I'd paid more attention to my heart back then." Patrick looked at his hands. He didn't usually get this personal with his children, but he hoped his words would have an impact on Gabby.

"Would you have came out sooner?" Gabby knew the story of how her dad didn't come out until he was in his thirties. She just hadn't ever told him that she knew.

"What?" Patrick looked at his daughter in shock.

"Grandpa Brewer told me ages ago. He said that was the best birthday party he'd ever been to. Apart from the first ones with me and Ryan." Gabby squeezed her dad close to her.

Patrick shook his head at his father and smiled brightly. He knew his parents loved him but this just solidified that and made him even more proud that he tried to emulate them in his role as a parent. 

"To answer your question, maybe. Or I'd at least know myself better so I could've avoided so many years of anguish."

"You and Papa can deny it all you want but I know you guys are sad im leaving." Gabby whispered as she kissed her dad on the cheek. "I'm not going very far. It's just NYU and I'll come home every holiday."

"I know, but your Papa and I will miss you so much. It's not going to be the same around here without you. You're our baby.  _ You _ made us parents." Patrick's voice broke halfway through and he turned to give his daughter a full hug. He never wanted to let her go.

He knew that she had a point. She'd be back and they weren't losing her forever, but it was going to be an adjustment having only Ryan to look after. He wished he could turn back time, but he knew that wasn't how this worked. He just had to believe that his little girl would always come home to them. 


End file.
